August 02, 2015

TRANSFORMED IN CHRIST

“Be renewed through the transformation of your minds, and put on a new self, created in God’s way in wisdom and holiness of truth.”

A Sunrise Prayer
Maker of the Morning,
as the blazing sun glories the eastern horizon,
I rise and greet this new day.
My spirit bows with gratitude
Rejoicing in hope for what this day promises.

Focusing Ray of Light,
I celebrate the fresh, penetrating clarity
of your daily entrance into my life,
stronger than the rising sun of morning,
clearer than brilliant light on a maple leaf.

As people of the sleepy earth stretch and stir,
awaken in them an eagerness for your wisdom.
As creatures come forth from their hidden places,
protect them from human greed and carelessness.
May this day be a day of compassion extended to each one.

I commit all that awakens in my heart
into the gracious hands of your care.
I dedicate all I am and all I do this day to you,
the Radiant One of the morning.
I entrust my entire being into the protective arms
of your love

Creator of the Dawning Sun,
draw me with your eternal energy.
Filter your transforming glow
through every inner fiber of mine
until I am transparent
with the power of your enlightening beauty.– Joyce Rupp, Prayers to Sophia 2010

“Whoever loves wisdom loves life, and those who seek wisdom from early morning are filled with joy.”– Ecclesiasticus 4:12

Reflection

What is the intention of your heart as you arise?

Consider how you might want to start your day with prayer. When? How?

Comprise your own morning prayer.

Blessing Prayer When Leaving on Vacation

Blessed are You, Lord our God,
for You have created a wide and wonderful world in which we can travel.

We ask Your blessing upon us
as we are about to leave on a journey.

Be our ever-near companion, O Holy Guide of Travelers,
and spread the road before us
with beauty and adventure.

May all the highways ahead of us
be free of harm and evil.

May we be accompanied by Your holy spirits,
Your angelic messengers,
as were the holy ones of days past.

On this trip may we take with us
as part of our traveling equipment
a heart wrapped in wonder with which to rejoice
in all that we shall meet.

Along with the clothing of wonder,
may we have room in our luggage
for a mystic map
by which we can find the invisible meanings
of the events of this journey –
of possible disappointments and delays,
of possible breakdowns and rainy day troubles.

Always awake to Your Sacred Presence
and to Your divine compassionate love,
may we see in all that happens to us,
in the beautiful and the bad,
the mystery of Your holy plan.

May the blessing of Your name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be upon us throughout this trip,
and bring us home again in safety and peace.
Amen.– Edward Hayes (Adapted)

SAVE THE DATE

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
On June 30, 2015, the feast of the Christians martyred under Nero in 64 A.D., our Holy Father, Pope Francis, remarked that there are more persecuted Christians in the world today than there were in the first centuries. Each month 180 Christians are being martyred. These sad statistics bear witness to the fact that Christians are among the most persecuted religious groups worldwide.

In more than 60 countries, over 200 million Christians are being denied their fundamental rights. In 41 of those countries, Islamic extremists are barbarically beheading, crucifying and killing men, women, young people and children. Tragically, in those areas of the world where Christianity once began, the Christian community is being wiped off the map. Islamic jihadists do not limit their violence to Christians alone. They spare no religious group, even killing those of their own Muslim faith.

As Pope Francis recently remarked, “The dramatic news … about violence, kidnapping …and harassment against Christians and other groups does not stop. We want to assure those involved in these situations that we do not forget them, but we are close to them and pray insistently that, very quickly, the intolerable brutality of which they are victims is put to an end” (Angelus, May 1, 2015).

The Pope has urged us to pray for an increased awareness of the “drama of persecuted Christians in our day,” for religious freedom as an “inalienable human right” and for the “end to this unacceptable crime.” In response to our Holy Father’s urgent request and united with him in concern for all those suffering religious persecution, I am designating this August as a diocesan-wide Month of Prayer for Those Suffering Religious Persecution

Prayer for those suffering religious persecution

Good and gracious Father, whose own Beloved Son suffered Violence and death for the salvation of the world, Listen graciously to our cry for all who are being persecuted for their faith. In your great mercy, comfort them with the Holy Spirit.Give them strength in the face of hostility and courage in the face of trial.

Open the eyes of those who raise their hands in violence to see others as their brothers and sisters, children of the one Father of all.By your grace, turn their hearts from hatred to love.

Through the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Queen of Peace, may justice and peace prevail? So that all may have the freedom to worship you,The one true God and him whom you have sent,Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen